[JPsuff]

.


I got into clubbuilding way back in the 80's mainly because I had trouble finding competent clubmakers who were willing to listen to my detailed specifications for what I wanted in my clubs. All I ever heard were comments like, "Well that's all that's available", or "We can't get that from the manufacturer", or "You can't order them that way" and so on.

So one day I was browsing through the back pages of a golf magazine and saw an ad for this book: "GOLF CLUB DESIGN, FITTING, ALTERATION & REPAIR by Ralph Maltby". I had heard a bit about Ralph Maltby and knew that he was a respected clubmaker and designer, so I bought the book.

In it I found a veritable treasure trove of information, specifications, charts, graphs, the overall science of golf clubs as well as detailed instructions on every aspect of club repair. - I was hooked. I had a set of MacGregor Muirfield 20th anniversary irons which I felt I could hit better if I changed the stock stiff shafts (S-300's) to a set of extra stiff shafts (X-100's). I ordered a Golfworks catalog and found the shafts I wanted as well as a variety of tools, gizmos, grips, epoxies and so on. I changed those shafts and was very happy with the results and I've been doing my own clubs ever since. I even built a grinding/polishing/sanding station for myself and with a few supplies from Golfworks, I had the capacity to grind, polish, sand, buff, abrade, strip or roughen any club part for any reason.

I have not had a single solitary thing done to a golf club by anyone other than myself in over 25 years. I got into building club sets about ten years ago and I've leaned towards Golfsmith for iron heads and Golfworks for woods. I've also built a variety of putters and I'm constantly tinkering with my clubs. And with name brand clubs, I just order a club for the head. I get it with the cheapest shaft they offer because I've already decided on what shaft I'm going to replace it with and I sometimes order THAT before I even get the club itself. This saves money by not having to pay for a manufacturer's "upgrade" shaft when all I really want is the clubhead.
Or, sometimes I'll order an OEM club with an upgrade shaft to see how it plays and if I don't like it I'll pull it, replace it with something I like better and I have a saleable shaft leftover or one I can simply install into another clubhead at some point in the future. I change shafts like many people change socks and when I bought an inexpensive loft and lie machine (really just a glorified vise), I now set my own lofts and lies as well as maintain those settings.

I think clubmaking is a lot of fun and I love to experiment with different combinations of shafts, heads, and weighting as well as more complicated adjustments such as soft or hard-stepping, shimming, and custom grinding wedges.

I love doing it if for no other reason than expediency. I'm not the most patient man in the world and if I get it in my head that I'd like to try a new shaft, for example, I want to be swinging that shaft by the next weekend. So I jump online, order what I want and depending on how I have it shipped, it will be at my door either in a few days or the very next day. It goes in the club that evening and it's in my bag the next day. No waiting, no dropping the club off with some anonymous clerk who couldn't care less, no missed communication or forgotten orders.
For instance, on another thread on this board, someone posted that they had to wait 4 weeks to have a shaft installed and then found out it was the wrong shaft. He refused that shaft and asked them to install the one he ordered and was told it would be another 4 weeks before the club was ready. I never have such problems. I order what I want and I install it myself so there's never a question or problem with miscommunication and I have my club in my bag in mere days or hours - not weeks or months.

I think clubmaking is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there and I love it. You have to be a tinkerer at heart to really enjoy it and if you are, you'll become addicted to it as many other people have but the satisfaction of building and maintaining your own clubs is well worth it.

-JP